Lamp socket

ABSTRACT

A vehicle lamp socket has a plastic body in which a metal tube of variable length for a lamp to change the focal point, is supported. The plastic body has annular flange made of the hard plastic material which is slotted near the body to provide a substantial amount of flexibility to the outer edge of the flange. Wings are provided on the body by which the socket is secured in an aperture and these are severed from the flange to eliminate any rigidity thereat. In this manner, a flexible flange is provided to the body which will retain it in locked position in the aperture under pressure.

United States Patent [191 Moore [451 Mar. 25, 1975 [521 U.S. 339/59 L, 339/127 R, 339/217 S,

339/258 S [51] 1nt.Cl. H01r 11/04, H01r 13/32 [58] Field of Search 339/17 D, 59 L, 127 R, 339/127 C, 217 S, 221 L, 221 R, 221 M, 256 SP, 258 S [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,468,368 4/1949 Jackson 339/217 S X 2,892,992 6/1959 Grovemiller 339/127 R UX 3,047,829 7/1962 Moyat 339/127 R 3,148,012 9/1964 Patton 339/256 SP 3,283,286 ll/l966 Webb et al 339/59 L 3,511,982 5/1970 Salter 339/17 D X 3,555,341 1/1971 Curtis 339/127 C UX 3,596,234 7/1971 Sapienza ct al. 339/217 SX 3,614,712 10/1971 Taormiwa et al. 339/127 R 3,825,884 7/1974 Duchatellier 339/258 5 X .E Q RE Q LA T .QR. APP C 1,196,270 11/1959 France "3139/1 27 R Primary E.raminer loseph H. McGlynn Assistant Examiner-Howard N. Goldberg Attorney, Agent, or Firml-larness, Dickey & Pierce [57] ABSTRACT A vehicle lamp socket has a plastic body in which a metal tube of variable length for a lamp to change the focal point, is supported. The plastic body has annular flange made of the hard plastic material which is slotted near the body to provide a substantial amount of flexibility to the outer edge of the flange. Wings are provided on the body by which the socket is secured in an aperture and these are severed from the flange to eliminate any rigidity thereat. In this manner, a flexible flange is provided to the body which will retain it in locked position in the aperture under pressure.

5 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures LAMP SOCKET BAQKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Reference may be had to the patent to D. L. De Lune U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,637 which shows a plastic body with a metal lamp supporting tube which employs an elastic ring to provide mounting and sealingpressure to the body when secured in an aperture in a panel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention pertains to a socket having a body which is made from a hard plastic material such as Nylon or the like with clamping members extending above an outwardly extending annular flange which has spaced slots therethrough near the body to permit the outer edge of the flange to deflect under a predetermined pressure. The body has a pairof wings which permit the sloping cam elements to force the body inwardly within an aperture and deflect the outer edge of the annular flange under a predetermined pressure. The portion of the flange adjacent to the wings are separated therefrom to eliminate the rigidity which would otherwise occur thereat.

The metal tube, supported within the socket body has J-slots for the prongs on the lamp base, a longitudinal extending slot for the projection on the terminal supporting washer for orientation and a pair of struck-out tongues which are engaged by a spring which contacts the terminal supporting washer. By lengthening the inner end of the tube below the tongues, any length tube may be provided which will have the terminals and the .I-slots positioned in the same relation for different focal length positions. The body has a rectangular projection molded at one side in which a prong from the base of the metal tube extends which has an aperture therein for receiving a tang extending outwardly from a terminal on a wire which functions as a ground. The prong is anchored within the rectangular extension which secures the tube within the socket body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a view of a socket taken from the end in which the light bulb is supported;

FIG. 2 is a view of the socket illustrated in FIG. 1, taken from the opposite end thereof;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken on the line 3-3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, taken on the line 4-4 thereof;

FIG. 5 is a broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, taken on the line 5-5 thereof;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 5, taken on the line 66 thereof;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, as viewed from the point 7 thereof;

FIG. 8 is a view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, as viewed from the point 8 thereof;

FIG. 9 is a view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, as viewed from the point 9 thereof, and

FIG. 10 shows a supporting panel having an aperture therein in which the socket of the present invention may be supported.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A socket 11 has a body 12 made of hard plastic material such as Nylon which is deflectable when pressure is applied thereto. The body has recesses 13 on opposite sides for receiving the .I-slot 14 in opposite sides of a conducting tube 15 which receives and supports the base ofa lamp. The body has a third inwardly facing recess 16 for receiving the longitudinal offset portion of the tube 15 in which a tab on an insulating washer I7 is received for orienting the terminals 18 mounted thereon. The washer 17 is urged outwardly by a spring 19 which rests upon oppositely disposed struck-out tongues 21 extending inwardly of the tube 15. The bottom of the tube is drawn inwardly at 22 and a tab 23 is formed outwardly to function a ground for the tube. The tab 23, as illustrated in FIG. 5, has shoulder portions 24 which, when passed through a slot in the base portion 25 of the body, extends thereover and locks the tube 15 therein against removal. The tab extends outwardly into a rectangular extension 26 of the base and I a terminal 27, to which a wire may be connected, has reversely bent flanges 28 which slide over the tab 23 until a spring tab 29 passes into an aperture 31 in the tang to lock the terminal against removal.

The body 12 has an outwardly extending annular flange 32 which engages the face of a panel 33, illustrated in FIG. 10, against which it is secured when the terminal is mounted on the panel in the aperture 34 thereover. The flange 32, as illustrated more specifically in FIG. 2, has slots 35, 36 and 37 provided therethrough with the mounting wings 38 having the flange 7 portion cut therefrom at 39 to provide flexibility to the continuous rim of the flange 32. Positioning and locking flanges 41 and 42 are molded on the body between the flange 32 and the lamp end of the body. Two of the flanges 41 are alike and, as illustrated in FIG. 8, have reinforcing ribs 43 and a sloping cam face 44. The locking flange 42 has a sloping face 44 as well as reinforcing ribs 45 which are radially disposed. The locking flange 42 is longer than the two flanges 41 and pass through a notch 46 in the panel 33 which is longer than the notches 47 which receives the locking flanges 41. This orients the socket within the aperture 34 and when forced against the panel 33 and rotated upon gripping the wings 38, the cam faces 44 of the flanges 41 and 42 will draw the socket inwardly of the aperture thereby deflecting the rim 48 of the flange 32 in pressure relation with the panel 33. The slots 36, 37 and 38 and the cutout portion 39 of the flange material provide resiliency to the rim 48 of the flange which is free to deflect when drawn tightly against the face of the panel 33 by the cam surfaces 44 as hereinabove pointed out.

The terminals 18 have wires 49 secured thereto and extending from the aperture 51 in the bottom of the body 12. These are retained in predetermined relation to the body in the conventional manner. After the socket has been rotated within the aperture 34, a projecting finger 52 has the flange cut away by a U-shape slot 53. The finger 52, as illustrated in dotted line in FIG. 7, deflects below the panel 34 until after the end passes thereover at which time the finger returns to its original position to engage the end of the panel and lock the socket against rotation until a positive turning force is applied thereto.

I claim;

1. In a socket, a body made of a hard plastic material having an internal recess, a metal tube within said recess for supporting a lamp bulb, an outwardly extending annular flange about the lamp bulb end of the body having slotted areas within the flange to provide resiliency to the continuous outer edge of the flange, and cam means between the flange and lamp end having cam faces thereon which when disposed through notches in the edge of an aperture through a panel draws the socket thereinto and deflects the edge of the flange into pressure engagement with the panel.

2. In a socket as recited in claim 1, wherein a pair of wings are molded with the flange of the body with the ends of the wings separated from the flange to retain the resiliency of the flange edge.

3. In a socket as recited in claim 2, wherein the body has a slotted rectangular extension at the rear end, a tab on the rear end of the metal tube which is forced through the slot in the rectangular extension, and projections on the side of the tab which deflects the material at the sides of the slot and extends thereover to lock the tube to the body.

4. In a socket as recited in claim 3, wherein the tab has an aperture therethrough, a terminal having a web and reversely formed side walls forming facing channels which slide over the tab, and a prong on said web engageable in the aperture of the tab to lock the terminal thereon.

5. In a socket as recited in claim 1, wherein a locking finger molded with the flange has the material thereof removed about an end which extends outwardly thereof toward the cam means, the removed material permits the finger to deflect relative to the flange for releasably locking the tubular body to the panel. 

1. In a socket, a body made of a hard plastic material having an internal recess, a metal tube within said recess for supporting a lamp bulb, an Outwardly extending annular flange about the lamp bulb end of the body having slotted areas within the flange to provide resiliency to the continuous outer edge of the flange, and cam means between the flange and lamp end having cam faces thereon which when disposed through notches in the edge of an aperture through a panel draws the socket thereinto and deflects the edge of the flange into pressure engagement with the panel.
 2. In a socket as recited in claim 1, wherein a pair of wings are molded with the flange of the body with the ends of the wings separated from the flange to retain the resiliency of the flange edge.
 3. In a socket as recited in claim 2, wherein the body has a slotted rectangular extension at the rear end, a tab on the rear end of the metal tube which is forced through the slot in the rectangular extension, and projections on the side of the tab which deflects the material at the sides of the slot and extends thereover to lock the tube to the body.
 4. In a socket as recited in claim 3, wherein the tab has an aperture therethrough, a terminal having a web and reversely formed side walls forming facing channels which slide over the tab, and a prong on said web engageable in the aperture of the tab to lock the terminal thereon.
 5. In a socket as recited in claim 1, wherein a locking finger molded with the flange has the material thereof removed about an end which extends outwardly thereof toward the cam means, the removed material permits the finger to deflect relative to the flange for releasably locking the tubular body to the panel. 